Syracuse man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in cocaine conspiracy

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man was sentenced in federal court in Syracuse to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Syracuse area, federal prosecutors announced today.

Deyon Smith, 37, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and distributing more than 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Judge Norman A. Mordue also sentenced Smith to be supervised for eight years after his release from prison.

Smith admitted playing a role in a large-scale, cocaine-by-mail conspiracy, prosecutors said. Numerous kilograms of the drug were sent from a source in Los Angeles to Smith and others who resdistributed the drugs in smaller quantities to Syracuse-area buyers, prosecutors said. Smith sent hundreds of thousands of dollars through an intermediary to his Los Angeles supplier, prosecutors said.